Chen Qingqing was not surprised by this outcome. After all, Chen Zhancai and his wife had lived in Qingshui Town for more than ten years and must know many people.
This elder Wang wouldn't offend scholars; if Chen Zhancai were to rise to prominence overnight, he would have to curry favor with him.
Since she couldn't change Wang Qizhang's decision, she wouldn't confront him directly. She understood the principle of being tactful and avoiding offending anyone.
"Since this can be resolved with silver, let's follow the elder's wishes, however..."
Chen Qingqing drawled out her words.
"However, Chen Ruolan must keep her bet with me and crawl out of this house. Otherwise, I won't mind going to the Confucius Academy to spread rumors about her."
“Of course, our Great Ning Dynasty advocates keeping one’s word and keeping one’s promise.” Wang Qizhang said helplessly, “Madam Liu, since your daughter has lost the bet, let her keep it!”
Liu Fengjiao stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do.
Chen Ruolan's face turned bright red. She knew that if she didn't climb out today, she would never be able to leave this house.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I'll climb."
Chen Ruolan knelt down in front of Chen Qingqing, tears welling up in her eyes, but she held them back.
With each step I took, I felt utterly humiliated.
At that moment, she bit her lip tightly and looked at Chen Qingqing, whom she hated with a passion.
He secretly vowed in his heart, "You just wait, the humiliation you suffered today will be repaid a hundredfold or a thousandfold in the future."
The onlookers immediately showed mocking smiles, as if watching a monkey show, after all, it was the first time a young woman had ever tried to crawl like a dog.
Watching Chen Ruolan crawl, Chen Qingqing felt no pity whatsoever. She would not pity someone who was targeting her at every turn. If she were in a weaker position today, Chen Ruolan would definitely humiliate her even more severely.
Liu Fengjiao's heart was breaking. She quickly stepped forward and pulled Chen Ruolan up, "Ruolan, let's go, let's go home with Mother."
Chen Ruolan nodded blankly, and the two left in a hurry.
"Thank you for your fair judgment today, Elder Wang," Chen Qingqing said, clasping her hands in a fist salute.
Wang Qizhang waved his hand, "You're too kind, young lady. Maintaining the order of Qingshui Town is my duty. Now that the matter has been resolved, everyone can leave!" After saying that, he left with his men.
The crowd gradually dispersed.
Chen Qingqing took the change from the shopkeeper and put the forty taels of silver, along with the fifty taels of silver in the cloth bag, into her medical space. She left only four taels of loose silver and four hundred coins in the cloth bag.
She was forced to reveal her wealth, and if someone with ulterior motives took notice, it would be troublesome.
The waiter wrapped up the four bolts of cloth. "Where do you live, young lady? I can deliver the cloth to your home for you."
"Thank you, brother. My home is in Nanshan Village, which is too far away. Could you help me put the cloth on my oxcart on my way back to the village?"
"Okay." The waiter said, picking up the cloth and following behind Chen Qingqing.
Before long, they arrived at the gate of Qingshui Town. The waiter placed the cloth on the oxcart, exchanged a few polite words, and then turned and left.
Old Liu was a little surprised to see that Chen Qingqing had bought so much fabric. "Qing girl, why did you buy so much cotton fabric?"
“My parents’ clothes are too worn out. I’ll make two sets for each of them, but that’s not much,” Chen Qingqing explained. Then she smiled and said, “Grandpa Liu, I’m also taking Chen Han to the Confucius Academy. I’ll also buy some things for the house. It might take up a lot of space, so I’ll give you an extra ten coins for the fare, making it twenty-two coins in total. Is that alright?”
Old Liu was overjoyed. It only cost three coins per person to ride, and he couldn't always pick up passengers. He would pay an extra ten coins for carrying some goods. It was a perfect deal.
His eyes narrowed into slits with laughter. "Okay, Qing girl, you go ahead. I'll wait for you here. There's no rush to go back."
The siblings went into town again. Chen Qingqing planned to register Chen Han at the Confucius Academy first, since his studies were the most important thing.
After asking around, I arrived at the Confucius Academy.
The gate was wide open. After asking, I learned that the academy would be opening in a few days and was recruiting students. Several parents were already queuing up with their children in front of the gate.
Chen Qingqing was no exception, following behind the other parents.
Chen Han felt uneasy. "Sister, can I really study?"
"Of course you can. If others can study, why can't you?"
"But I'm afraid I won't be able to answer the Master's questions."
Chen Qingqing squatted down and gently encouraged, "Xiaohan, I teach you to recite every day. Do you still remember mental arithmetic?"
Chen Han nodded heavily, "Sister, I remember."
"That's good. No matter what the teacher tests you on, just recall what I taught you and answer accordingly. I believe you can do it."
A newfound confidence shone in Chen Han's eyes. "I understand."
Not long after, it was Chen Han's turn.
The Confucius Academy was solemn and dignified, and Master Ye sat upright.
Chen Han stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Student Chen Han greets Master."
Master Ye first looked Chen Han up and down, and seeing that he had delicate features and bright eyes, he couldn't help but feel more favorably towards him.
"How old are you?"
"Master, I am only eight years old," Chen Han said, neither humble nor arrogant.
Master Ye nodded slightly. "Can you read?"
Chen Han glanced at Chen Qingqing and saw her looking at him encouragingly. His face immediately lit up with confidence. "My student's older sister taught me to recognize hundreds of characters and can write them simply."
Master Ye looked surprised and stroked his beard. "You understand arithmetic?"
"I have a basic understanding of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division."
Master Ye then posed an arithmetic problem, and Chen Han quickly wrote down the answer in his mind, following Chen Qingqing's instructions.
Master Ye was quite satisfied with Chen Han's intelligence, but still wanted to test him further, so he asked, "If someone else is in trouble, how will you handle it?"
Chen Han said without hesitation, "We should help them with good intentions and relieve their distress."
Master Ye laughed heartily after hearing this, "This child is intelligent and kind, and can enter my academy."
Chen Han immediately kowtowed in gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Master. I will certainly study diligently and live up to your expectations."
"Alright, classes will begin in five days. Bring your luggage, writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone. Also, there is a tuition fee of two taels of silver per month. If you live and eat at the academy, the accommodation fee plus food fee for one semester is five taels of silver. Remember to bring it."
"Students, please remember this."
After finishing speaking, Chen Han respectfully stepped back to Chen Qingqing's side. His composure from before had vanished, and he was so happy that he almost jumped up on the spot. "Sister, I passed!"
"I knew Xiaohan was the best. You have to study hard in the future. I'm counting on you to support me when I grow up." Chen Qingqing smiled slightly. "The third branch of the family has always been proud of its scholars. Chen Zhancai is over thirty years old and hasn't even passed the county-level exam. If you can pass it, it will be a great honor for your parents, you know?"
Chen Han's gaze was firm, and he nodded solemnly, "Sister, I understand."
"Okay, let's go then, let's go buy writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones." Chen Qingqing took Chen Han's small hand and walked towards the bustling street...
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